Centering people and place
The Public Impact Research (PIR) Network is designed to build capacity and shift the institutional landscape for public impact research within and across public research universities, elevating the role of public affairs schools and scholars in this work. The Network operates as a knowledge commons by sharing tools, resources, and practices across participating universities.
Its purpose is to create a distributed ecosystem where researchers can improve public programs and policies in the states where their universities are located. By aligning incentives, recognition, and infrastructure, the PIR Network helps make public impact research more visible, supported, and sustainable.
Over the next few months, we will continue to add to an iterate on this website. Check back in for updates!
Workgroups
Faculty from institutional members participate in workgroups that fuel the work and create the solutions emerging from the network.
Focuses on training the next generation of Public Impact Researchers and will design and oversee the PIR Fellowships and residential Summer Institute.
Oversee the creation of an open-access, Creative Commons-licensed digital library to curate tools, cases, analytic frameworks, communication products and implementation resources.
vate norms and standards for recognizing public impact research in promotion, tenure and professional reputations through awards, national seminars, conferences and partnerships.
Call for Fellows
The PIR Network is currently recruiting its inaugural cohort of PIR Fellows through member schools. We are seeking faculty, research scientists, and doctoral students who are engaged in public impact research, work intentionally designed with an in-depth understanding of people and place to help practitioners, community leaders, and policymakers make progress on real problems.
Fellows will gather for a network-wide workshop at Ohio State University on September 11-13, 2026, for methodological training, collaborative work, and community building across member institutions. Through the two-year Fellowship, scholars gain access to an interdisciplinary national network, the PIR Toolkit and Resource Library, and, as philanthropic funding is secured, opportunities to apply for network catalyst research grants.
If you are interested in being considered, please contact your dean or school leadership.
The Network will solicit a limited number of Affiliated Fellows who do not work at an institutional member. More information about this opportunity will be available here after June 1, 2026.
November Accelerator Workshop
Over four days, the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at University of Washington and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University convened a community of scholars from major public universities—a coalition of the willing.
We listened to stories and engaged in conversations around what is needed to activate scholars’ capacity and develop a strong network of public affairs scholars across peer R1 public institutions – the Public Impact Research Network.
Our Partners
Participating R1 public universities may engage in the Public Impact Research Network at one of three levels, reflecting differential investments and benefits. All membership levels require commitment from institutional leaders to support public impact research and embed this commitment within their institution’s culture and faculty governance documents.
CORE INNOVATORS
STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND GENERAL MEMBERS
